Drug lord known as "The Tsar" -- who allegedly worked with Pablo Escobar -- arrested at his luxury villa in Colombia
Updated on: March 11, 2024 / 7:08 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
CRIME
Drug lord known as "The Tsar" — who allegedly worked with Pablo Escobar — arrested at his luxury villa in Colombia
Updated on: March 11, 2024 / 7:08 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
A major drug lord responsible for supplying cocaine to European gangs was arrested in Colombia in a joint operation with Spanish police, authorities in both countries said on Saturday. Julio Andres Murillo Figueroa, 49, collaborated in the 80s and 90s with infamous Medellín Cartel leader Pablo Escobar, police said.
Figueroa, 49, was detained on March 1 in his luxury villa in the region of Antioquia. The fugitive — known as H-1 or El Zar ("The Tsar) — had an arrest warrant issued by Spain for aggravated drug trafficking and membership in a criminal organization.
The suspect is "presumed to be directly responsible for the operations of the (Medellin) cartel in Europe and the cartel's contact with the 'Ndrangheta and Mocro Maffia criminal organizations," Spanish police said.
The 'Ndrangheta is a Calabrian criminal group from southern Italy and the Mocro Maffia is a largely Moroccan gang. Together, they control much of the cocaine trade through the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam in Belgium and the Netherlands respectively. Just days ago, the leader of the Mocro Maffia was sentenced to life in prison over a series of murders committed by his gang in the Netherlands.
More:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/drug-lord-the-tsar-arrested-luxury-villa-colombia-julio-andres-murillo-figueroa/
